It would be rolling out pilot projects in the third quarter to test the tool once it is done setting up the rating team.

Rehda Youth deputy chairman Sam Tan said it intended to set up an independent board to oversee the certification process.

“That way we can create credibility,” he said after launching Green Tour 3 yesterday.

“We are setting up the team infrastructure and training the team to ensure it is running smoothly.”

Tan said that more than a handful of developers were already committed to the GreenRE rating tool, offering to participate in the pilot projects. The developers are Bandar Utama Development Sdn Bhd, Sunway Bhd, IJM Land Bhd, Paramount Corp Bhd, Ken Holdings Bhd and OSK Property Holdings Bhd.

“We have not identified how many or which developments to take on as pilot projects yet,” Tan said.

GreenRE, albeit less rigid than the long-existing Green Building Index, was developed based on the international Green Mark standards.

Tan said while the rating criteria were based on an international standard, they were also tailored to suit the Malaysian environment. According to Rehda vice-president Datuk Ricque Liew, the tours educate developers on the accessibility of green ratings and encourage a sharing of ideas.

“Most members think that it’ll cost you an arm and a leg to get a Gold Mark rating, but not necessarily so,” he said.

Liew said the global demand for green-rated building had triggered local demand as multinational companies setting up shop here had specific requirements for the buildings they operated in.

While Rehda Youth has not tabulated the number of developers who have gone green in recent three years, Tan said the number of green-rated buildings had risen, indicating increasing awareness.

“Because we are still early in this (rating) cycle, there are only some completed buildings rated green but a lot under planning and construction are getting green-rated now and I think in a year or two, there will be many in the market.”

The annual Green Tour, third to be organised locally, was created to further raise the awareness to go green among developers, engineers and architects.